A choice can change everything
by cakelyn
Summary: What happens when, again, Oliver chooses Laurel over the team. But this time it's Felicity who gets hurt. Will he be able to get her back or will she be gone forever? Rated T for Language


My second story for Arrow :)

Hope you enjoy :)

Copyright: God I wish I owned Arrow, but I don't, CW does.

Oliver didn't like it. Felicity had to go out on a mission. They were trying to get into a computer of a man on Oliver's list. The first step was a simple phone stop, the man like blonde escorts so Felicity was the only the dodge incident Oliver had been very protective of Felicity.  
"Oliver, you and Diggle will be with me the entire time."  
After much debate and a few sparring matches with Diggle, Oliver finally agreed. One week later everything was all set to go. Felicity's identity was all set. She changed in the bathroom in the lair into a red dress that hugged her curves. When she came out her hair was down and curled. She had contacts in and she wore black pumps. Diggle's jaw dropped and Oliver used all his restraint to not drop his.  
She was nervous and they could tell. Oliver muttered something then headed upstairs to play club owner before everything went down. As Felicity walked around Diggle told her that Oliver and himself would be with her the entire time.  
Oliver was in verdant when he received a text from Laurel.  
'_Can you meet?_'  
'_Umm.._'

'_It will be quick._'  
Oliver looked at his watch and saw he had 20 minutes before Felicity entered the gala.  
'_Sure, where?_'

'_Cafe near my office._'  
'_Be there in five._'

Felicity entered the gala where the man, Alex Starkor, was.  
"Where's Oliver?" Felicity whispered into her earpiece.  
"Good Question." Diggle replied

Oliver was already ten minutes late. He was laughing when he checked his watch and it read 8:30. Laurel notice his face change.  
"Something wrong?" She asked.  
"It's just later then I thought."  
"Do you need to leave?" She asked concerned. Oliver check his phone and saw no new messages or texts.  
"No, I can stay a bit later."  
'_It's only a phone swap._' Oliver thought. After another ten minutes Oliver felt his phone buzz, it was Diggle, he silenced it and kept talking with Laurel. When Oliver checked his phone after the fifth text all it said was 'LAIR NOW!'  
"Hey, I have to go, something came up at the club." Oliver and Laurel exchanged goodbyes. As Oliver rode his bike back to Verdant, he mentally prepared himself for the verbal abuse he was about to receive from Diggle. But he made good progress with Laurel. He stepped into the basement and down the stairs to find Diggle washing what looked like blood off his hands. He stepped towards until he was three feet away from Diggle.  
"Diggle, I'm so-" He was cut short by a punch from Diggle  
"Where the hell were you?"

"Diggle lis-"  
"No!" He roared out. "Where were you?"  
"At a cafe with laurel."  
"Laurel. Laurel really?"  
"I didn't think I'd lose track of time."  
"You shouldn't have gone in the first place." Diggle yelled.  
"Diggle, she-"  
"No, we are a team, if there is a mission, we come first."  
"Correction." Felicity said as she came limping out of the room. She had blood all over her and her dress was ripped in 3 places. "We were a team. We are not anymore."  
"Oh god, Felicity. What happened?"  
"Wouldn't you like to know." She snapped back. "Diggle can you drive me home?"  
"Sure."  
"Felicity, let me dri-"  
"No!" She yelled out. "You can go to hell." She said as she walked past him. Oliver lightly grabbed her wrist to spin her around and she punched him. "Stay the hell away from me." Diggle and Felicity walked away leaving Oliver in the basement alone.

it had been three days since and only Diggle showed up at the foundry and he barely spoke to Oliver.  
The next day Oliver went to Felicity's office. He saw her all bruised when he walked in.  
"Felicity." Oliver said lightly and she looked at him

"Can we talk?"  
"Sure." She said harshly. "Shall we talk about how your cafe date with Laurel went." She bit out.  
"Felicity. I'm sor-"  
"Don't bother. Like Diggle said 'You'll always choose Laurel. The rest of us be damned.' I know why you're here. I'm not going to tell anyone your secret. I care about Diggle too much."  
"That's not why I am here. Let me make it up to you."  
"I almost died!" She yelled louder then expected. "I almost died because you weren't there. Even when you said you would be." She said softly and a tear rolled down her cheek.  
"Felicity, I'm so sorry." He said as he tried to brush her tear away but she pushed his hand away. "What happened that night?"  
"Everything was going fine until the phone swap. I made my move, a guard saw me. What we didn't know was that he had 3 extra bodyguards. Diggle did his best but it wasn't enough. Apparently I passed out in the car back to the lair. Diggle says I'm lucky to be alive." She said and turned away from Oliver.  
"Felicity I'm sorry, I should've been there."  
"You should've." She said turning back to face him. "But you weren't. You made such a big deal about me going into the field only to blow us off."  
"I didn't blow you off."  
"Really?" She sniped back and Oliver say the fire again in her eyes.  
"Not intentionally."  
"So is that suppose to make me feel better? I'm sorry Felicity, I didn't mean to intentionally blow you off and get you almost killed in the process." She said in a harsh tone mocking Oliver's.  
"Right that was a bad choice of words."  
'Bad choice of words? Seriously Oliver. You can't fix this with your hot looks and your play of words. You made a choice and now you have to face the consequences."  
"Hot looks?"

"Don't go off topic."  
"What do you want me to say Felicity?"  
"Nothing. I want you to make a choice. You have to decide whether you want to play house with Laurel or you want to care about the people who truly know who are. The people you don't have to wear a mask around. I mean you do wear a mask a night but that's not the point." She stopped to take a breathe. "You have to make a choice. You can't have the best of both worlds."  
"Are you giving me an ultimadium?"

"Call it what you want."  
Oliver just stood there looking at Felicity when she sighed.  
"Well I guess we have our answer." She said softly then went to walk around Oliver when he closed the door so she couldn't leave.  
"What are you doing?" She asked angrily.  
"Giving you my answer."  
"what are y-" She was stopped when Oliver kissed her. She melted into him at first then pushed him back and out of breath.  
"That was not what I meant." She said.  
"Then what did you mean."  
"I just wanted you to decide whether you wanted a team again."  
"I do." Oliver said and stepped closer to Felicity trapping her between Oliver and her desk.

"The reason I met with Laurel was to tell her that I wanted to just be friends, I can't set up a life around someone who I can never be my self with. I can't tell you how sorry I am that you got hurt."  
Felicity looked away from Oliver.  
"I was so hurt that you weren't there." She whispered out. Oliver stepped closer to Felicity to the point that he was pressed against her.  
"And I will make sure that you never feel that way again." He moved to kiss her until she grunted out in pain. "What is it?"  
"You're pressing against my ribs." She squeaked out and Oliver back away instantly.  
"God, are you okay."  
"Yeah." Felicity said as she grabbed her ribs and steadied herself on her desk. Oliver was about to move back to Felicity when a knock on the door interrupted him then the door opened, it was Diggle.  
"Oliver, what are you doing here." Diggle asked angrily, then he saw Felicity grabbing her side. "What did you do?" Diggle asked with a fire in his eyes.  
"It was my fault, I slipped and hit my ribs. Oliver was thankfully coming in and helped me up." Felicity interjected.  
"Then why was the door closed?"  
"He wanted to look at the ribs, he was just about to when you came in."  
"I swear Diggle, I couldn't hurt her." Oliver said and Diggle snorted.  
"I won't even get into that." He replied. He looked to Felicity. "Will you be alright?"

"Yeah." Diggle nodded then turned to leave when he stopped. "Are you coming back Felicity?" Diggle asked and both he and Oliver looked at Felicity.  
"I'm not sure." She looked to the two men. "Dig, can I have a minute with Oliver?" And Diggle gave her a weary look. "I'll be fine." She said to reassure herself and Diggle. He turned and closed the door behind him.  
"Thanks for not saying your ribs hurt because I had my body pressed against you."  
"Yea, because that would have been fun explaining to Dig." She said through gritted teeth as she tried to stand up straight. Oliver moved over to help her.  
"You really should let me look at your ribs." She nodded and he helped her take her shirt off. "You know." She said as she started to lift the shirt. "I always thought you'd help me take off my shirt in another setting." She stopped and let the words sink in. "Oh god, no not like that, I mean, I just-" She was cut short by Oliver laughing. His laughing was abruptly cut short when he saw the huge bruise on her ribs. She could see the hurt in his eyes and she laid a hand on his cheek. he gently placed a hand on the bruise making her cringe. He looked back at Felicity and kissed her. She nearly melted into him. The kiss said everything that Oliver couldn't. She pushed him back out of breath.  
"What did I hit your ribs?"  
"No it's just, we are having a make-out session, in my office, and I'm not wearing a shirt." She said.  
"I'm not complaining." Oliver said and kissed her again.  
"I'm serious Oliver." She said when they pulled apart. He placed his hand on her cheek and kissed her forehead then grabbed her shirt and helped her put in on. The opened the door to find Diggle with a smirk on his face.  
"I thought I'd tell you I heard your entire conversation. not the first part when Oliver first showed up but the middle about him making a choice." Diggle said and Felicity blushed.  
"Diggle-" Oliver started but stopped when Diggle raised a hand.  
"Let me finish. I now owe three people 20 bucks, thanks for that. But Oliver listen, you hurt her again and I will personally put an arrow into you."  
"I won't." Oliver said. Oliver put his Arm around Felicity's waist and pulled her close and never let her go...ever.


End file.
